Prepare for trouble
by DeadlyFandoms
Summary: (Rocketshipping) After getting stuck in a hole Jessie and James send Meowth off to get help, but when they finally get rescued they encounter someone that James never wanted to see again, and they're demanding. In order to save James, he and Jessie have to pretend to be in a relationship. But will it work? And what will it lead to? {{IN PROGRESS / NOT COMPLETE YET}}
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes:** So here's my first ever Pokémon fanfiction! I've been meaning to write one of these for so long and I don't know why I haven't done it until now?! Anyway, I know exactly what I'm doing with this one and I have plenty more ideas so expect their to be a rather large infestation of Pokémon on my account (All of which will be about Jessie and James, AKA Rocketshipping)

Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this first chapter, it's only short, but I still hope it's good. Don't forget to leave me a review!  
(And a huge thank you to my friend Katy for being my beta reader!)

 **Extra:** This fanfiction is based during the original series of Pokémon, so I've tried to make Jessie and James funny and comical like they used to be. It is also set any time after the episode "Holy matrimony!" and probably after the episode "Go west young Meowth" too.

 **Prepare for trouble**

 **Chapter one**

Team Rocket felt the ground shake and buckle beneath them and soon found themselves experiencing that was uncomfortably familiar: Falling down a hole. Each member hit the ground with a violent force, everything exploded into a cloud of dust and they were left in a heap at the bottom of the hole. James sat up with a slight wobble and rubbed his sore head, "Well, it beats blasting of…" He groaned. Jessie's cheeks turned red. "Oh! And you think this is better?!"

"Well, no but….-"

"If the two of you weren't such idiots we wouldn't be falling down our traps!" Meowth snapped, "We might even have captured that Twerp's Pikachu by now!"

"Well, I don't see you with that mouse's Pokeball in your hand either, Meowth!" James retorted.

"Will the two of you be quiet! In case you haven't noticed we're still stuck in a hole!"

"Sorry, Jessie…" James and Meowth both said. Jessie sighed briefly.

"Right, we might as well try to find a way out of this…Meowth, James and I are going to lift you up out of the hole and then you need to go and find someone that can help us out of here."

"Hey! Why do I always have to be the one running around doing the dirty work."

"Don't start acting all sorry for yourself, James and I do as much as you do…Plus, James and I are the loveable faces of the team, we can't stop looking so amazing just so we can beg someone for help!"

"Excuse me! But who's top cat?"

"You haven't been top cat for months!"

"Well, ummm -" Meowth struggled to think of a good reply.

"If you can successfully complete this task then you'll be 'Top cat'"

"What if I don't wanna?" Meowth pouted. Jessie sighed again. She picked Meowth up by the scruff of his neck and threw him out of the hole with brute force. Meowth landed with a harsh thud.

"I'll get you back for that one, Jessie!" he cried.

"Yes, yes, now run along Meowth, you wouldn't want the Boss to hear about you not helping you fellow team members, would you?" Meowth looked down at Jessie as she spoke and she wore and evil smile. He obeyed her and walked down the dusty path with a grumble. Jessie gave herself a small smile, accompanied by a satisfactory chuckle before sitting next to James in the dirt. James was unusually quiet and staring at nothingness.

"James? James are you okay?" "Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." He lied.

"James, I've known you for a very long time and I know when something's wrong" Jessie said somewhat tenderly, but with genuine concern. James stayed silent.

"Tell me." She insisted gently.

"It's just…how come we always lose, Jessie?"

"It's those Twerps! They always ruin our plans!" She spat.

"But it can't be just the Twerps, I mean, we've failed so many times…" He paused for a short while. Jessie looked down at the dirt. "When we were first training together I told you that we'd be the greatest team there ever was, but now look at us…we're stuck in a whole!"

Jessie stayed silent, she'd almost forgotten what she and James had promised to one another all those years ago, she'd just gotten on with things; yes she hated losing, but soon she and James would have a new plan to take her thoughts away from the frustration of always being second best. And although she would never admit it, James was right, It couldn't just be the Twerps that were causing their constant failure…in reality, they shouldn't be failing at all, after all, Ash Ketchum is just a ten year old boy with a pesky Pikachu. Why did they lose so much? And had James always felt this way?

"Sometimes it just makes me think…is it all really worth it?" James added.

"What do you mean?"

"This, Jess, is what we do every single day really worth it? We spend countless hours planning ridiculously expensive schemes to try and impress the Boss, but we always end up with failure!"

"Please don't tell me that you're thinking of leaving the team?" Jessie exclaimed quietly. Now she was really worried.

"I'm not sure I can…I'm sure the Boss would have no problem getting rid of someone as incompetent as me…But I don't think I can bring myself to leave you…and Meowth." James admitted. Jessie looked at him with disbelief, James felt strongly about this, was she the reason he endured such humiliation every day? She rested her head on his shoulder and James put one arm around her body.

"James, you should do whatever you feels right…-" She swallowed a lump in her throat. "- And if that means leaving the team, then…then maybe you should…consider it?"

"Jess, I couldn't leave the team, not after all we've been though…-" He smiled slightly, "Listen, I think I'm just going through a bit of a doubtful stage."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you really think that after all this time I could really walk away from Team Rocket?" He questioned somewhat brightly. Jessie gave a small laugh.

"I guess not."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, it's just going to be you, me and Meowth…nothing will change that."

"Good, because I wasn't going to let you leave anyway!" She said half jokingly. James chuckled before standing up.

"You know what, Jessie, I think we might be able to get out of this by ourselves."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I can lift you over and once you're out you can pull me out."

"Worth a shot." She said optimistically. Awkwardly, James gave Jessie a leg up, but had to try and hold her steady whilst she clambered out of the hole.

"You're heavier than you look!" James said with a struggle.

"Quit your complaining and act like a man for once!….Now come on, lift me up higher!"

"I'm trying!" James squawked.

"Come on, just a little more." With one final push James finally lifted Jessie out of the hole. "Phew, -" She said, "- Well, at least we can do something right!" When she looked back into the hole James was on the ground with an exhausted look on his face. "Get up you Slowpoke!"

"Couldn't you at least let me take a break?"

"If you quit whining I'll be able to pull you out of there." James struggled to his feet. She leant over the side of the hole, but as James grabbed her hand the extra weight pulled her straight over the edge and she landed heavily on top of him. "Well…that went well…" Jessie groaned, "If you weren't so heavy, James we wouldn't have this problem" She said cockily. James scrambled out from underneath her.

"Me heavy?!" He exclaimed, breathlessly.

"Yes! All the weight pulled me straight back down!"

"You're the one who's heavy! You're the one with the weight! I could barely lift you up there!"

"What are you trying to say, James?" She questioned with a provocative tone. James panicked as Jessie looked at him threateningly; one piece of self advice rushed feverishly around James' mind: Never insult Jessie's appearance, never insult Jessie's appearance, never insult Jessie's appearance. After making that mistake in the past, he always reminded himself not to do it again…although, he thought that maybe Jessie could kick him hard enough to fire him out of the hole.

"Uh, no…no, no, not at all." He whimpered. Jessie huffed triumphantly. For a long while there was a moment of silence, and Jessie thought, about what just happened…she knew that James wasn't afraid of her, he's said it himself that he's no gentleman, yet he often goes as far as to make sure he never hurts her feelings. It made Jessie wonder…about certain feelings.

"James…-"

"Yeah, Jess?"

"Do you ever think about what life would be like if we were never part of Team Rocket?" She asked with quiet honesty, and for a moment James stared at her with disbelief. Then he spoke softly,

"Sometimes."

"What do you think about?"

"I don't know…I just try to imagine the difference in my life…If I'd never joined at all I'd either be in some bicycle gang or I'd be back home and married to Jessibelle -" He took a few sharp breaths after the mention of her name, "And if I left now, I don't know where I'd be or what I'd be doing… -" He huffed out a small laugh. "- Sometimes I imagine you, me…and Meowth still staying together, even though we don't work for the Boss anymore."

"Why on Earth would you want to hang around with me?"

"Jessie, you're…you're my best friend." He blushed as he spoke.

"Huh?"

"I mean it, I've been working with you for years now…I've never really been close to anyone, or at least, anyone who wasn't a Pokémon. No matter what happens I always feel close to you, I know I can count on you…and I must sound incredibly soppy and sickeningly romantic, but I can't imagine life without you, Jessie."

"Oh, James…." The hugged each other briefly, it certainly wasn't the first time they had held each other, whether it was out of fear, friendship or comfort. But recently they both had to admit that they'd felt a difference in their chemistry; they felt closer to each other, they hadn't been doing anything different, it just felt different. Everything between them felt stronger. They stepped apart.

"Hey! Love birds! Quit your hug fest and be polite, I've found someone who's gonna help you out!" Meowth called down. Behind him Jessie and James could she a tall figure wearing a dress and a scarf around her face - giving her a ominous look. Regardless, the pair were just glad that they found a way to get out. The woman stepped forward and peered down into the hole through the face scarf, the sun framing her body sweetly.

"Okay, I want y'all to grab this rope and I'll pull you out…How 'bout we get the gentleman out first?" She suggested, her voice verging on psychopathic. She lowered down a thin and slick black rope that felt rubbery to the touch. James gripped it tightly and was pulled up violently by the mysterious woman.

James jumped to his feet quickly once he was out of the hole, "Uh…thank you." He said with a shaky voice…although he could see them, he swore that her eyes were constantly staring at him. "Hey! What about me?!" Jessie called up to them. The creepy woman spun around a whipped the rubbery rope down to Jessie, who was pulled up in a careless manor. Jessie stood by James and dusted herself off, the woman watching her every move.

"Well, thank you for your help….we'd better be moving." She grabbed James and Meowth and forced them to walk away with her.

"Wait!" The woman called out, "Don't I get a little reward for helping y'all out?" Jessie turned around and was frozen on the spot. "Well, ummm, You see…. -" She stuttered, "Like what?"

"Him." She replied, pointing at James. The Team gasped. "Him? You want James?"

"Yes." She said deviously. James just stood there, fear painted strongly across his features.

"Who are you?!" Jessie demanded.

"Well….. -" "I'm waiting!" Jessie snapped.

"Prepare for trouble! -" She exclaimed. "Oh no…" Groaned Jessie. She cracked the rope onto the ground, revealing it to be a whip and she removed her face scarf with a flourish and revealed a face James never wanted to see again. It was Jessibelle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for reading chapter one, I've had some very nice feedback from a lot of awesome people (Shoutout to my Instagram Rocketshipping squad!)  
I really hope you enjoy this chapter, I feel personally, that I've done a better job with this. Chapter 3 will hopefully be up soon, but I only have one last week off before I start sixth form so my time might get taken up a little. But I hope you'll be as kind and patient as you always are.  
Anyway, I really hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave me a review! :D**

 **Prepare for trouble!**

 **Chapter 2**

The team all stood side-by-side with their mouths hanging open and James looked like he was about to cry…or run away…or both.

"That's right, James, your darlin' Jessiebelle has returned to you, and I think I can hear wedding bells!" She sung happily. James could feel his hands shaking and his head was drenched with a cold sweat.

"No! -" He squealed, "I don't want her!" He bolted from the team and attempted to dive head first into the hole he'd just been rescued from.

"No James!" Jessie yelled and dove in after him and before they knew it, they were at the bottom of the hole…again. Jessie moved closer to James - who was cowering in a ball. "For goodness sake, James! -" She whispered angrily, "- Will you pull yourself together!"

"Don't you remember what happened last time we met Jessiebelle? I became her temporary whipping post!"

"You could do with a good bit of whipping, it might make you man up a bit…!" She replied sarcastically.

"But, Jessie! She still wants to marry me! And I can't mentally or physically handle that!"

"Look, James, I don't like her being here anymore than you do…but the way I see it, you have two option: You can choose to marry her and get filthy rich with all the wonderful inheritance of yours….or you can refuse to tie the knot."

"I can't, Jessie! I can't get married! You know how controlling Jessibelle is…I simply can't stand it and I want to live my life freely; live the way I want and with the people I want to live it with." He demanded shyly.

"…I understand."

She smiled at him with care, but James just looked down at the ground with sheer worry. Jessie knew she could never force James to marry Jessiebelle, she had been tormenting him ever since he was a child, so much so that he ran away and became a Team Rocket criminal…she knew that marrying her would be a torturous outcome for him; and she would never make him go through that! No matter how rich his inheritance would make him, not even if it was all the money in the world! Because James means more to her than that. "Hey! -" Jessie called up, "- Can you get us back out of here?" She heard Jessiebelle giggle.

"Sure! No problem!" She squealed joyfully.

Jessiebelle flicked her whip down the hole again - almost catching Jessie across the face. Concealing her anger, Jessie unhappily took hold of the whip - with the thick rubber making her grip sore. Her arms ached as she slowly ascended, but soon she was back out of the hole. Jessiebelle was about to repeat the process when Jessie snatched the whip out of her hand demandingly.

Jessiebelle snarled at her, but Jessie just held herself proudly, for she had something that Jessibelle not only desired deeply, but would never have: The companionship of James. Without saying anything, Jessie lowered the whip gently down the hole until she could feel the tension of James' hands on the other end. She pulled him up as quickly as she could, and James stood close to her side once he was near her. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look as if to say: 'You can do this", and James smiled in return. He turned to face Jessiebelle.

"Okay, Listen to me, Jessiebelle -" He began confidently, but before he could continue Jessiebelle grabbed both his hands and was spinning James around in a painful waltz.

"Oh, James! We've been apart for so long, but now we're back together and we can finally get married!"

"Wait! Wait! You're not listening to me!" James cried as he struggled within Jessiebelle's grasp. Meowth began to giggle quietly, but ended up being kicked by one of Jessie's long boots.

"Will you be quiet, Meowth! It's your fault she's here in the first place." She snapped.

"How comes it's my fault?!"

"Because you brought her here! You were so stupid you couldn't even see through her disguise!"

"You didn't either!"

"It wasn't my job too, I just wanted to get out of that blasted hole!" Amongst their heated words, James was crying out for help. He eventually managed to break away from Jessiebelle and bolted back to Jessie and Meowth as a retreat.

"What are you doin', James?"

"Listen, Jessiebelle, there's something I need to tell you…Jessiebelle I don't want to marry you!" He blurted. Jessiebelle's face became a vision of rage.

"AND WHY NOT?!" James had never seen Jessiebelle angry like this before, in the past she had just been psychopathically calm when he rejected her or at the very least would try to tame him with her whip; but this time was different, her cheeks became flushed, her eyes bulged and James froze.

"Uh…Well, you see…ummm -" And then Jessie cut in,

"James can't marry you because we're a couple now!" She blurted loudly.

"What?!" Gasped Jessiebelle.

"What?!" Gasped Meowth.

"What?!" Gasped James. There was a moment of silence, it wrapped around each person like a gentle constraint.

"That's right! And we're planning on getting married!"

"What?!" Gasped Jessiebelle.

"What?!" Gasped Meowth.

"What?!" Gasped James. "Uh, I mean…Yep! That's right! Jessie and I are getting married! -" He dashed over to her and put his arm around her waist, "- And I couldn't be happier!" He said with a smiled that was half forced. Jessie smiled too as they hugged each other but still looked at Jessiebelle. She was shocked to a ghostly white tone.

"Well, if all that's true, I guess I'll just have to stick 'round with you guys, just to make sure you're not lyin' to me…!"

"Wha…What do you mean lying to you?" James stuttered.

"I want to make sure you ain't just sayin' all that to get rid of me, y'all goin' have to prove you're really datin'!"

"Uh-oh" Meowth muttered.

"And how exactly do you want us to prove that?" Jessie questioned demandingly.

"Well…you can start by kissing each other." The team's jaws dropped.

"K….Kiss each other?" James whispered.

"Fine." Jessie said. Before James could express, Jessie grabbed him, dipped him within her grasp and placed her lips passionately upon his. James furthered the kiss, without fully realising what he was doing.

They found themselves metaphorically transported into another dimension, into a world where only they existed at this point in time. It was something they never conveyed themselves doing, they'd always been very close to each other and had had their fair share of hugs and….more hugs, but no matter how close they got, or no matter when any urges arose, they never fathomed that their lips would ever touch.

It wasn't until they're lips finally parted and their eyes met it a wild and shocked gaze that they remembered where they were. Jessie instantly stood up straight - dropping James onto his back. "There. -" She snapped, "- Has that convinced you enough." Jessiebelle huffed angrily.

"For now, but don't think y'all have beaten me! I'm still going to stay with you two every day until I'm fully convinced!"

"Oh come on! You'll never be convinced, you'll just stay with us until we either give up or you kidnap James yourself…which right now wouldn't be too hard." Jessie looked down at James, he was lay on his back with a permanent expression of sheer shock painted across his face. He didn't move at all. Although, Meowth was practically in the same situation, except he was standing up.

"Well, then it's your choice, Jessie, lose the easy way, or lose the hard way. What'll it be?"

"We're not losing at all! So if you want to follow us go ahead, but I can assure you, that'll you'll be the first one to walk away!" Jessie walked away from Jessiebelle at that moment and knelt next to James. She gave him a gentle shake. "James? James? -" She picked him up by his shoulders and shook him more violently. "- James will you snap out of it!" She exclaimed. James let out a small cry.

"Jessie! What just? We just -" He stuttered.

"Yes, we did, and that fiancée of yours is determined to stick around, so you and I are going to have to pretend to be in one hell of a relationship or you'll find your find yourself at the end of an alter with her!"

"Please don't let her take me, Jessie!" He whimpered.

"Then play along." She told him.

"Okay." James nodded. He took her hand as he stood up.

"We can do this, James…it'll feel weird but we can do this, and soon Jessiebelle will be gone and things can go back to normal."

"Jessie, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you decide to -"

"Look out! It's those Twerps!" Jessie called! She ran and hid in some nearby bushes - accompanied by both James and Meowth. Jessiebelle stayed where she was out of confusion.

"What's goin' on?" She questioned. Team Rocket looked angrily out of the bushes.

"Not only has our trap failed, but that girl of yours, James is going to blow our cover." Meowth grumbled.

"She is not my girl, Meowth!" James snapped.

"He's right -" Said Jessie, "- I am!"

"What?!" Jams gasped.

"We're pretending, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"I never thought I'd say this, but I hope that idiot Jessiebelle gets over here soon, the last thing we want is for the Twerps to know we're chasing them again!" Jessie grumbled.

"I'll see if I can go and get her" Meowth said as he dashed off. "I'm not that desperate." Jessie barked.

"Jessie, why did you decide to tell Jessiebelle that particular…excuse?"

"I had to find some way to stop he from getting her claws into you and I knew just saying you don't want to marry her would be enough…so I had to put something in her way, so the best option was myself." She told him innocently.

"Last time she tried to get me to marry her all you could think about was all my inheritance." James added.

"The thing is, James -"

"Oh no!" He interrupted her.

"What is it?"

"I think the Twerps are about to spot Jessiebelle and Meowth!"

 ****!****

"Not far now, Pikachu, soon we'll have our next gym badge and we'll be one step closer to the Pokémon league!" Ash beamed.

"Don't let you confidence get the better of you, Ash." Misty commented.

"No way! We're going to win our next badge and win the Pokémon league! And then -"

"- Hey! Look over there!" Brock interrupted.

"What is it?" Ash questioned.

"Who's that girl over there?" Brock asked as he unknowingly pointed towards Jessiebelle.

"Wait…Is that Jessie from Team Rocket?!" gasped Ash. "It must be! Look at that Meowth, it's standing on two legs!"

"I wonder what they're up to this time?" Brock groaned.

"Whatever it is, we need to stop them before they steal someone's Pokémon!" Ash said defiantly. All three of them ran along the path until Jessiebelle and Meowth gasped at their presence. "All right Team Rocket, I don't know what you're up to but you'd better stop it right now!" Ash demanded. Jessiebelle turned to face them, she looked a little insulted.

"I think y'all are mistaken, my name is Jessibelle, and I believe we've met before."

"Wait, aren't you the woman who wanted to marry James?" Misty asked her.

"That's right!"

"So what are you doing back with Team Rocket?" Brock asked her.

"She's trying to get James to tie the knot…again!" Meowth muttered.

"Ha! If only it were that easy!" Jessiebelle laughed coldly.

"What? He still doesn't want to marry you?" Ash laughed.

"Well, apparently he's gettin' married to that Jessie girl!"

"What?!" All three of them cried out.

"Wait? You're saying that Jessie and James are getting married?!" Laughed Ash.

 ****!****

"You have got to be kidding me! Has she really just told the Twerps about all this?!" Jessie spat.

"We're a laughing stock!" James cried.

"No change there…" Jessie muttered.

"What?"

"Look, let's just get that Fiancée of yours and get out of here!"

"Should we do the motto?" James asked innocently.

"With no devious plan the motto is just bland…" They crawled out of the bushes and ran over to the Twerps together.

"Here are the two lovebirds!" Misty commented - causing an uproar of laughter from everyone, even Meowth! Jessie was torn, her villainous instincts wanted her to snap angrily at the Twerps, but that would just make things worse, and if she wanted to convince Jessiebelle that she's in a relationship with James she needed to stay calm and play along. She curled an arm around James - who was trying not to act like this was a new experience - and then rested her head on his shoulder. The laughter stopped.

"Well, I really don't see what's so funny about it -" She said in a sweet-sounding voice, "Haven't you ever been in love before?"

"Yes!" Brock blurted out.

"Oh jeez…here we go" Misty mumbled.

"All the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys, each one more beautiful than the last! Love is a beautiful feeling that ignites the heart with flares of passion and a sense of wonder!" He sang.

"Yeah….what he said." Jessie commented.

"Anyway, hurry up and try and steal our Pokémon, we're kind of in a hurry you know." She said vainly.

"These two idiots already tried to steal you Pikachu today, but their plan didn't quite work." Meowth explained as he pointed towards the hole. Ash laughed.

"Well, better luck next time! Maybe I'll see you at the next Pokémon gym?" He joked.

"Oh, you will, -" Jessie grunted, "- So you'd better watch out, because before you know it, your little Pikachu will belong to us!" She said provokingly. She and Ash stared at each other for a while, their eyes burning with rivalry.

"Yes, well we'd better be going, coming along, Dear." James said nervously as he pushed Jessie along the path. The apparent 'couple' and Meowth walked a few paces down the dusty trail before remembering…

"Jessiebelle!" They all panicked - causing them to bolt away as quickly as they could. Jessibelle rubbed the back of her head.

"I…uh, I need to follow them." She explained pathetically before also sprinting down the path.

"Well, that was weird." Ash shrugged.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading the first two chapters and thanks for all the support I've been getting on here, Wattpad and Instagram!  
If you enjoy this chapter please follow, favourite and leave a review it really helps me out. Thank you!**

 **Prepare for trouble**

 **Chapter 3**

Jessiebelle walked a few paces behind Team Rocket, watching them with the eyes of a Fearow. Jessie and James walked hand in hand, constantly aware that Jessiebelle's eyes were burning into them. There was a sever feeling of intimidation in the air, and it wrapped around both of them like a suffocating blanket; an everlasting restraint that pressured them to go beyond where they once were. Jessie moved her body slightly closer to James. He flinched slightly, they had only been pretending like this for a couple of hours, but it was already clear that James was much more anxious than she was.

"Relax, James -" She said in a hushed tone, "- I told you it's okay to act this way. So try to stop acting so nervous."

"I'm sorry, Jess…I'm just not used to any of this."

"Oh, come on, it's not like we've spent the last few years with a restraining order."

"Yeah, but that was different…I've never….interacted with you….romantically before."

"Look, it's no different, now hurry up and pretend to love me!" She ordered a little louder.

"That'd better not be a lovers quarrel I can hear!" Jessiebelle said to them spitefully. Jessie turned round and gave her a false smile, but her eyes showed anger.

"Not at all! -" Jessie reassured with a forced laugh, "We're just trying to remember where we left the balloon." She giggled nervously when she noticed Jessiebelle giving her a disapproving look; in response she gave James a light kiss upon his cheek - causing him to blush feverishly. Jessiebelle huffed with annoyance. As they walked - still holding hands - James still wondered why Jessie had made this choice, after only a few hours of pretending to be in a relationship they were already exhausted from the constant pressure they were under from Jessiebelle, not to mention the fact that they were still tailing the Twerps.

Jessie had never fully explained why she'd used such an elaborate plan to try and shake Jessiebelle off their tail, especially since last time they met Jessie was more than happy to let him get married in order to get the money. So why now was she going to such lengths? He wanted to ask her again, to push her to give the answer he almost heard, but maybe the moment had gone; and what kind of answer would he get when they were standing only a few feet away from their threat? Meowth caught up with the pair for a moment.

"Hey, guys, how long is she gonna be hangin' around with us?"

"I don't know, Meowth…" James sighed.

"'Cos she's holdin' us back! How are we are we supposed to capture people's Pokemon with her followin' us the whole time?" Meowth complained quietly.

"We're perfectly aware of that, Meowth, but Jessie and I aren't in an ideal situation ourselves!" James spat. Meowth smirked to himself.

"Yeah, whatever! You two are loving this!" He chuckled.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?!" Jessie blurted.

"Uhhh, n….nothing!" Meowth whimpered.

"Good!" Jessie huffed. They walked for a little longer, the scorching sun beating down on their bodies and the rustling of Spearows in the trees. Jessie and James kept their hands locked together - secretly enjoying the secure feeling it gave them both. They smiled at each other briefly.

"Hey guys, can you remember where we left our balloon?" Meowth asked nervously.

"We left it behind a bunch of trees -" James began.

"It should be just a little further down the path." Jessie added.

"It'd better be! My paws are killing me!" The Pokemon groaned as he momentarily stopped to rub his feet.

"Quit complaining, Fur ball!" Jessie retorted - half joking.

"Hey! James darlin'! -" Jessiebelle called. The sound of her voice startled the trio briefly, as they had forgotten about her presence. James jumped more than the other two…simply the thought of Jessiebelle made him shiver, let alone her yandere pet names for him. "- Where are we goin'?"

"We're going back to where we last camped to get our balloon."

"Balloon? What an Earth are you talkin' about, Sweetheart?" Jessiebelle winked flirtatiously at James - causing him to shiver even more frantically.

"Yes, Jessie and I always travel by balloon." James said sternly.

"And me!" Meowth chirped.

"Well, balloon certainly isn't the correct way for a gentleman to travel." She commented smugly.

"I've told you before, I am not a gentleman! Nor do I want to be a gentleman! And Jessie and I like travelling by balloon, so therefore we're going to travel by balloon!" James snapped in an brave yet unusual outbreak of rage.

"Okay -" She said in a sweet-sounding voice, "- Is it gonna take long? My feet are hurting!"

"See!" Meowth muttered.

"It'll take as long as it takes." Jessie snapped.

"I wasn't asking you, Missy! -" Jessiebelle replied angrily. "- You just want to get your dirty little claws into my James!"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" The two women stared angrily at each other, their bodies burning up with sheer rage, their faces twitched and their knuckles turned white from clenched fists.

"Okay that's enough! -" James called out, "Jessiebelle, you leave Jessie alone." Jessiebelle looked at James with a hurt expression.

"James, dear, you shouldn't speak to a lady that way."

"Then why did you speak to Jessie like that?" He retorted, instantly silencing his stalker. He walked over to Jessie confidently, paused at her face for a moment before giving her a quick kiss on the lips that felt sweetly reassuring. Jessie blushed ever so slightly after the meeting of their lips. There was a moment where Jessie contemplated grabbing James and attacking him with a feverish kiss, but there was something about the kiss he just gave her…it felt so real, so full of affection, and she didn't know whether or not he did it to play along or to make Jessiebelle jealous; but as she looked into his eyes she felt like there was some kind of spark there. So she left it at that. They laced their fingers together again and continued to walk down the path, leaving Jessiebelle several paces behind. Meowth trailed closely behind them.

"If you say anything about that, Meowth, I'll throw you into a Beedrill swarm!" Jessie muttered to him. James chuckled at an almost inaudible level. It wasn't long until they finally came to their most recent camping spot - they hadn't slept directly by the path, but a little inside it's neighbouring woods, not far enough to get attack by herds of Pokemon, maybe just a few bug types at most.

They had carved a scruffy looking 'R' on the bark of the tree in order to lead them back to their camp site…they all agreed that it was quite a clever idea…for them anyway. The strolled past the tree and kept moving until they came to a small clearing amongst the trees. It was nicely secluded so they could avoid being seen or robbed, but still widely spacious…well, it was when here was only three of them staying there. Along the vibrant grass lay three sleeping bags - one of them considerably smaller than the other - and there were backpacks scattered all around. There was a unlit fire lying alone in the centre of it all, surrounded by a couple of logs; and at the very back of the little living are was the infamous Team rocket balloon…except it was flat and lifeless…for now.

"It's getting late, I think we should think about eating and then getting to sleep pretty soon." James suggested, Jessie nodded.

"Yeah, then we can get the balloon flying as soon as we can and hopefully get back at those twerps!"

"Sound great to me!" Meowth sang.

"Okay then, make yourself useful and get us some fresh firewood!" Jessie chirped with attitude. Meowth groaned and meandered reluctantly through the trees.

"Just a few twigs, Meowth, that's all ya need -" He groaned, "- I hate havin' to do all the chores around here, I swear d'em two lovebirds never do any of the work!" He grumbled to himself. Meowth then began to wonder about the lovebirds in question. Ever since they first met, Meowth had noticed a strong chemistry between the Team, but it always seemed to be more prominent with Jessie and James…if it wasn't an everlasting fear hug they shared it was some kind of tender moment that always seemed to have plenty of hidden romance underneath the surface.

But he never quite understood why they always denied their feelings for each other; naturally they were best friends - all three of them were - but it was more than obvious to most people that there was some desire from both sides, even if it wasn't a passionate lust of two soon to be lovers, it was still there. They still cared deeply for each other. In a way Meowth hoped that all of this pretending would help them realise that. Meowth had almost unknowingly collected a few pieces of wood during his thoughts and soon came to a cliff edge, he had no idea that they were so close to the sea and obviously the next town - but he couldn't make out which one in was due to dusk's restricting light.

As much as he wanted to marvel at the view, he decided to turn back, not wanting some lecture from Jessie about how he'd taken too long. When he arrived back at their little camp everything was quiet, and an uncomfortable awkwardness filled the air around them all. But his presence seemed to make Jessie glad, it gave her something to focus on, other than the constant glares being thrown at her from Jessiebelle.

"Nice work, Meowth." She praised in a voice that was so rushed he could barely understand her. Jessie balanced the sticks together but then realised…

"Ugh! It's times like this that make me wish we had a fire type Pokemon!" She growled.

"Jess, uh, Darling…I think there might be some matches in the balloon basket." But before James could retrieve them an annoying voice spoke,

"Oh, James, Dearest, Can I talk to you for a moment? Please?" James sighed and walked over to Jessiebelle, whilst Jessie commenced the search for the matches. She clambered into the basket and began to rummage through everything they had stored there.

Bottle caps...Make-up…Wax…Photos of James - Jessie chuckled. Empty rucksacks…Hair products…the list was endless, until she finally cam across a small box and inside rattled 4 small matches. She threw the box at Meowth - hitting his charm.

"Will you be careful?!" He screeched. Jessie laughed in response…but then something caught her attention, she could over here the conversation James was having with Jessiebelle and she soon realised that it wasn't just choreography that killed the cat, it was curiosity too.

"For the last time, Jessiebelle, I do _not_ want to marry you!" James hissed.

"Now, James, you know that I'm the best choice for you."

"What gave you that idea?" He commented, not really wanting an answer.

"I can teach you how to be a respectful gentleman, someone who shines in the darkness of the world." She said, her voice trailing off into tones of glory.

"I don't want to be some stupid, stuck-up gentleman! -" He snapped, "-Upper-class society is the worst, there are so many rules and restrictions that are just uncalled for! I want to do things my way! Look at me now, Jessiebelle, sure I'm living some petty life of crime, but I've got my freedom like this, and I'm all the more happier because of it!" His words made Jessie smile, but Jessiebelle frowned.

"You don't really want to marry someone like Jessie do you, Darlin'? I mean, she's so rough and…well she's just a criminal!" She spat, disgusted. James felt a sense of sheer anger, how dare he insult Jessie.

"And so am I." He said plainly. He left Jessiebelle with those few words and moved over to Jessie - who was watching as Meowth tried vigorously to light a match. He sat down on the log by her and put an arm around her waist, although, this didn't feel unusual to either of them, hugging and holding each other was something they often did. They both smiled. Finally the fire was lit.

Eventually, the group found themselves eating from small cans and sitting around the fire.

"Don't you have anything more sophisticated to eat from?"

"Look, jus stop complaining! Be grateful we've given you some of our food. So either eat it or go without!" Jessie said angrily. The rest of the meal was carried out in utter silence and Team Rocket were grateful for that, they found it soothing when they didn't have to listen to Jessiebelle's voice.

They discarded their food cans inside the balloon basket and the Team made their way to their colour-coordinated sleeping bags. They just wanted to try and get a good nights rest, shake off the days craziness and hopefully become ready to face their next plan to steal Pikachu. The idea was all going so well until…

"Umm, now, what am I goin' to sleep in?" Jessiebelle questioned.

"What?" Replied James.

"Well, I don't have a sleepin' bag!"

"That's your own fault."

"Now, James, you can't expect me to sleep out in the cold?!"

"We're already sleeping out in the cold." James commented.

"Just give me your sleepin' bag darlin'! It'd be ever so manly of you!" She chirped.

"Well, I don't want to give you me sleeping bag, Jessiebelle!"

"But think about it, James, Dear, you and Jessie can share a sleepin' bag, that's want any _real_ couple would do" She sneered. James just stared with disbelief, she was right, any normal couple would be more than willing to share a sleeping bag, and denying it would just prove to her that they were acting. James huffed in defeat and threw her his sky coloured sleeping bag. He moved over to Jessie, put his face close to hers and whispered,

"Are you okay with this?"

"Yeah….sure, I mean, whatever." She stuttered.

"Thank you." James replied. They crawled into the sleeping bag one at a time and Meowth was smirking at them.

"Not a word, Feline!" Jessie threatened. He laughed before turning over. Jessie and James tried their best to sleep separated, but the sleeping bag was incapable of stretching to such lengths, so their only option was to cuddle up to one another. James scooted into Jessie's back and slipped an arm around her - only lightly. At first she found it difficult to relax, but eventually finding herself enjoying his embrace.

"Goodnight, Jessie." He whispered.

"Goodnight, James."


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey! Sorry this has taken a few weeks, but I've just started my A levels and that's kept me so busy and I also have an acting job. SO a lot fo my free time has gone. But aslo, my friend died a couple of weeks ago...so I was out of it for a bit.**

 **Anyway, I've finally got this chapter finished, I hope you enjoy it. NOt sure when the next one will be up, October half term MAYBE? It just depends on how much homework I get. Anyway, thank you all for the support and please leave a review! (:**

 **Prepare for trouble**

 **Chapter 4**

The stabbing fingers of the night's cool embrace stirred Jessie awake and left her feeling empty. Her and James slept back to back in the sleeping bag - too afraid to get any closer, regardless of how cold the world was making them. Jessie let out a quick burst of shivers. She flipped her body around within the irritable fabric of the sleeping bag and was me with James' nose pressed against hers. He was still asleep. His warm breath trickled lightly from his mouth and swept across her features like the soothing touch of a lover.

She savoured the warmth of his unknowing self, yet not fully understanding why; maybe it was the calmed thrill of secrecy…or the simple fact that they were still wandering on uncharted territory. She turned around again, still feeling a heavy sense of emptiness, a sense that was pounding against her chest like a weight. It wasn't fear, nor was it sadness…it was almost…guilt.

She partially unzipped the sleeping bag and wriggled away from the embrace James' presence. She walked away from the campsite - not caring about the loudness of her travel; The moon was her only source of guidance, accompanied by the soft innocence of surrounding stars. As she manoeuvred smoothly through the timber city, something solid cracked across her forehead. Jessie cursed gruffly.

"Stupid branches."

She kept on moving at a slow but careless pace until she came to a cliff edge. She could hear the waves lapping against the stone, like two friends desperately trying to hold each other - but always failing. Jessie sat down on the grass and let her legs dangle above the water; she felt truly free for the first time - a sensation she had only before imagined, like she was a wild Pidgeot soaring above everyone else, its wings slashing through the air.

The wind curled itself around Jessie mall figure and embraced her with timidly - but with wild intentions…he heart was beating faster and for a short moment in time she could forget everything else and just feel the rustic touch of nature around her. She loved the feeling of knowing that there was nothing separating her from danger, it was a raw sensation that made her tingle and bit her lip with nervous joy. But it made her wonder slightly, why does she crave such an experience?

It's not like she had a lust for adventure, nor did she want to put herself in danger…she considered the fact that maybe it was for comfort, so she could truly feel something that was strong. She felt a peculiar sensation trickle down her spine like an insect - causing her to let out a slight shiver; she turned in sync with a proclaiming gust of wind. James was standing a few paces behind her - his body stiff and his eyes overflowing with concern.

"James?" She acknowledged.

"What are you doing out here, Jess?" He questioned as he moved closer. She swung her legs away from the cliff edge - her skirt rolling up her legs slightly. She hugged her knees and avoided looking at James' face.

"Just sitting." She murmured. James sat opposite her - half mimicking her position.

"But why?"

"I just felt like it." She shrugged.

"Really? You just felt like getting up in the middle of the night at sitting over a cliff edge…just so you could have a think?" He questioned, almost mocking her.

"Get off my back, James!" She hissed.

"Aw, come on, Jessie, you know I didn't mean it like that." He shuffled closer to her and studied her delicate features. She looked back briefly.

"I did it because I care about you." She blurted shyly.

"What? You came out here because you care about me?" James scratched his head.

"No. I told Jessiebelle what I told her because I care about you." She admitted. She was looking at James fully now and she scooted even closer to him.

"I'm still confused." He whimpered nervously. Jessie let a small smile break across her face and James eyes twinkled at her in response; he had always admired her beauty…secretly, of course.

"When Jessiebelle first starting talking about marriage naturally one of my first thoughts was to send you off and get al that lovely money of yours…-" She looked deeply into his colour eyes, but she could see them go dim with pain. "- But then I remembered everything tat Jessibelle put you through…I remember how terrified you were the first time, and I just couldn't bare to put you through that… -" James was silent, his eyes almost shivering. "- I made the decision that I did because I care about you James…I care about your happiness."

Their eyes locked together, and tears were threatening to spill from both of them. Jessie lay her head on his shoulder and was soon being cuddled by his arm; this wasn't an unusual situation for them, they hugged more often than not…but there was something about this hug, the emotion behind was so powerful and so full of truth and passion. Jessie felt safe within his arms, she felt like nothing else mattered, because it didn't; there was no Jessiebelle, no blasting away from a failed mission…there was nothing to worry about. At this point in time it was only them underneath the moonlight's soothing embrace. She felt warm in James' arms, like he was holding the very thing that was most precious to him. She clung to him tighter and shivered within the cool air.

"Cold?" He whispered to her. He felt her nod against his chest. "Do you want to go back?" They both wished that they could stay in this moment for the rest of the night, but the chills in the environment were becoming harsh.

The wind wanted them out of its domain, and it became to attack their bodies with violent gusts. The stood up together and ran back to the campsite giggling and entwining their fingers. They slowed and quietened as they returned to their sleeping bag, not wishing to wake James' stalker…until James accidentally kicked over their empty food cans and causing them to cartwheel loudly across the ground.

"Will you shut up!" Jessie laughed - almost falling into his arms.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" He explained, choking back giggles.

"Well, if you wake up the 'Queen of mean' over there, you'll have hell to pay!" He smirked at him. He batted her shoulder playfully.

"Okay, okay -" James laughed, "-Lets just try and get back to sleep." James bent down and was the first of them to crawl back into their single-sized sleeping bag; he scooted as far to the side as he could - leaving plenty of room for his partner.

But when Jessie finally entered the sleeping bag, she didn't lie as far away as possible, instead she cuddled into James and his arms held her in a warm embrace. His fingers curled through her thick, colour hair and she buried her face into the crook of his neck…they never really slept this close before and they weren't sure if they'd ever do it again…the only thing they were sure of is that they had never felt closer. James place a light kiss on the top of Jessie's head. She smiled.

"Goodnight, Jessie." He whispered. Slowly, they both began to stir away into the devious clinch of sleep, their minds rocking away into their own dizziness; and as the relaxation consumed them completely, the last thing they remembered was being in each others arms.

 ****!****

The crisp air of an early morning swooped through the trees like the freed feathers of a bird - swiftly awakening the sleeping Team…and their 'guest'. James wriggled gently away from Jessie body at sat up - rubbing his scruffy hair and yawning. He stretched his back awkwardly….hearing his spine crack in discomfort. He could see Meowth standing a few paces away from him - unmoving and facing outwards to the trees. He scratched his head again. He unskilfully tumbled out of the sleeping bag and walked confidently up to Meowth. He towered over the Pokemon.

"Meowth, what are you doing just standing there!" For a while there was no answer, just an eerie, still silence…not even nature made noises.

"Uh, Jimmy -" Meowth said shakily, "- You might wanna take a look at that" He added. Meowth raised his arm and pointed to the highest if trees; James' eyes followed and for a long while he could not decipher what it was that Meowth wanted him to look at…until he spotted a small yellow-ish creature hanging from the branches - surrounded but hundreds more of it's own kind. Kakuna. James swallowed a lump in his throat and froze next to Meowth. His heart was racing, not again! Because they both knew that wherever there were Kakuna, there were Beedrill.

"What should we do now, James?" Meowth whispered, barely moving his lips.

"I think we should leave, and pretty darn soon!" They heard light footsteps behind them and soon Jessie had joined there little duo; at first she said nothing, and simply stared at the pathetic pair with disbelief. She was almost astounded, feeling the time fleet around her.  
"And what do you think you to are doing?! She laughed angrily.

"Be quiet will ya?!" Meowth hissed.

"Excuse me! Don't you dare-" He outburst was stopped by James' gloved hand grabbing her mouth forcefully, he eyes widened, but then narrowed again with anger.

"Jessie! Be quiet!….Look, over there!" He moved her head to look at the nesting Kakunas. Jessie eyes widened once more.

"Shall we just…leave? Throw our stuff into the balloon and -"

" - Yeah, I think that's a good idea." James interrupted. In sync, Team Rocket began to walk backwards, each step quicker than the last; they never turned around, instead their gaze remained focused on the Kakuna herd, as if the life depended on it….if kind of did! It was going well, they revered further and further into their campsite…they could sense that they were close to the balloon when suddenly Jessie crashed into the only other person who wasn't present with the Team. Jessiebelle cried out in disgust, jumped to her feet and threw herself and James.

"Oh, James! That little pest of a girlfriend just attacked me! Can't ya see how cruel she is?!" She squealed - hiding her true predatory nature. James furrowed his brown and look almost threateningly at her; he grabbed her wrists and pried her off of him.

"Jessiebelle, we haven't got time for your childless nonsense!" He snapped.

"James, that ain't no proper way to speak to a lady." She disciplined.

"Jessibelle we have to leave now!"

"What're you talkin' about, Sweetheart?"

"Erm, there's some Kakuna over 'dere and we don't want to be running into any Beedrill." Meowth explained. Jessiebelle laughed.

"Don't be so stupid, there aren't any Beedrill around here!"

"Where there are Kakuna there are Beedrill!" Meowth commented as Jessiebelle moved closer to the still Pokemon. Jessiebelle soon found herself by the closest Kakuna ad began to tickle the top of its head lightly.

"Honestly, are you three really afraid of something so harmless?! -" She laughed again, "- Why, I never heard of anythin' so stupid in all my life!" The trio began to back away again; Jessie grabbed all three sleeping bags and carelessly launched them into the balloon basket…slowly followed by her doing the same to her two partners. She climbed in afterwards.

That's when the violent buzzing arose. Jessiebelle turned in a ferocious panic to see several large Beedrill rise up form nowhere. She looked into their threatening eyes, she could sense their hostility. "Oh dear…" She murmured. But as she turned around Team Rocket had already launched their balloon and were floating down the path. He only choice was to run after them.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: Really hope you enjoyed that, sorry if it was a bit rushed. Please review and let me know what you think...all comment welcome! xx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes:** Hi! Thank you so much for being patient with me, I know it's been so long since I upadtaed, but I was working as a scare actor through October and then was really busy with sixth form, but I have 2 weeks off for Christmas befor emy mock exams start; hopefully chapter 6 will be up before I got back to college but I can't promise anything.  
Thank you so much for all the support and being so patient, and shout out to all the amazing and friendly people that follow my Team Rocket based Instagram account ( teamrocketshipping ) Love you all!

I would really appreciate it if you tell me what you think by leaving a review.

 **Prepare for trouble**

 **Chapter 5**

"Personally, I think that was one of our most successful escapes so far!" Meowth cheered as he popped the cork from the bottle of cheap champagne.

"You idiot! It's been our only successful escape!" James commented with sour humour. He sipped the drink Meowth had just poured him and grimaced at the unpleasant taste of the low-priced drink.

"Oh, Lighten up, James, we're on the road to victory now!" added Jessie with a controlled squeal. James took another sip.

"Not quite" He murmured.

"What's eatin' ya this time, Jimmy?" Meowth squawked at him, James moved to the edge of the balloon basket and looked over the edge.

"Maybe the fact the Jessiebelle is hanging off of the ladder?!" His comment spoke truth, the balloon's ladder was flapping freely from the basket only a few metres above the ground - and hanging from it's lowest height was Jessiebelle.

"Oh, forget about her, she's been down there for the last hour and she's still alive…unfortunately." Jessie chirped bitterly.

"Are you three gonna let me up, or what?!" Jessiebelle called up angrily to them.

"Be quiet!" Jessie demanded.

"Jess, we can't just leave her there!" James told her, yet he felt annoyed with himself for saying it. In truth, Jessebelle was nothing short of annoying…or terrifying; but James still felt immoral about leaving her hanging…literally.

"Of course we can!" Jessie replied with a somewhat sinister laugh.

"Okay…we can, but it's not the right thing to do!"

"Since when have you cared about doing the right thing? May I remind you of your career choice?" She hissed as she fingered the logo on James' shirt.

"That's different." He tried to explain.

"May I also remind you on how she has practically tortured you since you were a child!"

"It's still different!"

"How?"

It just is…" He whined. Jessie huffed at him.

"Well, it's funny how you suddenly care so much about your precious Jessiebelle!" She spat.

"Oh, don't get like that, Jessie!"

"Well, it's certainly how things seem at the moment." Jessie muttered.

"You know that she terrifies me!" James squealed angrily in response.

"Well, you seem pretty keen to get her up here with us!"

"I don't want her here with us, but you can't just leave her dangling off the edge of the hot air balloon!" He squealed again.

"You know what? Fine! Get her up here, let her beat you down into nothing more than a shadow of a man, let her torture you again!"

"Jess… -"

"No, James! Listen to me, I'm trying so hard to help you here, but if you want to throw it back in my face that's fine!"

"Oh my! Do I hear a little lovers quarrel goin' on up there?" Jessiebelle laughed.

"No!" Jessie Snarled in response.

"Jess, don't be so cold, I know you're looking out for me but -"

"Uh, You two…." Meowth cut in.

"What?!" The remaining team members replied.

"I would like to remind you that the balloon is only a few feet above the ground! Jessiebelle is practically walking!" Jessie and James froze - their cheeks pink with embarrassment.

"Uhhh." James murmured.

"Jimmy, I dunno where you got your sudden sense of morality form, but I do know that if she falls she's gonna get nothing worse than a few scratches." Meowth reasoned - not really caring about the situation.

"It was her own fault for grabbing onto the balloon into the first place…next time she's going to find her own way out of a Beedrill attack!" Jessie hissed. So many parts of James were telling him to encouraged Jessie to lighten up, but he thought back to what she had just told him, Jessiebelle really had been horrid to him all those years ago, morality was one thing, but Jessiebelle was not deserving of his charity; and after all Jessie was just trying to look out for him, to make sure that he was okay…like a real friend would. He looked up at her, she was looking away from him slightly, her facial features tensed into a state of annoyance. He moved closer. She looked at him.

"Thank you, Jessie." James spoke quietly.

"For what?" She replied stoically.

"For looking out for me." James smiled warmly at her and their eyes locked for a brief moment. Eventually Jessie lips cracked into a smile.

"You know I always will." For a moment there was silence, but it wasn't awkward, nor was it angry…James could tell what Jessie was feeling; she felt tense, frustrated, but most of all she felt saddened.

"She won't be around for long, Jessie." He tried to reassure her.

"You can't know that for certain, and I've seen the obsession she has with you…getting rid of her won't be an easy task…and I doubt it'll be something that occurs any time soon…"

"It will, I promise…after all, you're supposed to be my fiancée." They cracked another smile at each other and for the first time in the last couple of days they thought that maybe this 'relationship' of there's wouldn't be so bad.

"I hate to brake up the fluffy moment, but I'm thinkin' that we should think about landin' soon. We'll be at the next city."

"What's your point, Meowth?" Jessie questioned genuinely.

"My point is dat the twerps will probably be there soon, which means we've got another shot at catchin' that Pikachu!"

"Good point, can we afford a hotel?" James pondered out loud.

"Of course not, we'll have to camp on the outskirts…at least we won't be noticed by Officer Jenny."

"Okay, den it's settled!…Best work out watcha gonna do with James' stalker too." Meowth reminded and Jessie sighed.

"Okay -" James began, "- She'll have to stay with us for now, but if we keep our minds focused on getting Pikachu I'm sure we'll be fine." Jessie closed her eyes for a moment and breath shallowly…she hated Jessiebelle for obvious reason, she was an obsessive and annoying human that she would frankly like to leave hanging in a net; but Jessie didn't just feel hatred towards her, there was a deeper more longing feeling inside her…it was heavy - a sense of discomfort that made her want to cry. It was an odd feeling, one that she had never really acknowledged before…was she upset by Jessiebelle?

Then she looked at James. Jessie remembered only feeling like this once before - back at James' family mansion, when she saw Jessiebelle terrorising him so much she felt the very same feeling…she silently concluded that it was obviously seeing James in such pain and turmoil that was making her ache so much. She had never really thought about any kind of feelings she had towards James, friendship, affection or even something negative, she was also so focused on her work, but now she felt lost - like her head was spinning with so much new material; she was confused.

Then, of course, there was the fact that she dumped James into this pretend relationship game, yes, she did it to keep Jessiebelle away from James - but that clearly didn't work and now she was overwhelmed with a thick sense of guilt. James didn't ask for this to happen, and was now stuck with Jessiebelle and the exhausting task of living a lie. Jessie hated herself…yet James still found a way to smile at her. "Jess? You okay with that?" James asked gently. Jessie smiled at him.

"Of course, after all, I am your fiancée!" She replied with a wink and James flashed her another smile before pulling up the ladder - with Jessiebelle still hanging off of the edge.

"Well it's about time!" Jessiebelle roared, but when she saw that James was the one pulling her up her mood switched in the blink of an eye. "Oh, James my darlin', I knew you'd save me eventually!"

"Don't be such a narcissist!" He grumbled.

"Well, what the heck does that mean?"

"I don't know…" He replied - almost inaudible. Eventually Jessibelle reached the balloon basket and threw herself into James' arms as soon as the chance prevented itself. James squealed timidly at the shock - which lead to him dropping Jessibelle suddenly. The balloon rocked from the motion.

"Dear me, James, a gentleman should never drop his lady!" Jessiebelle scolded lightly.

"You ain't his lady!" Meowth cut in with a matter of fact attitude.

"Hush! Fur ball!" The stalker retorted.

"Ouch." Meowth said with no pain whatsoever. Jessie marched over to James' side and placed her arm loosely around his shoulders.

"Jessiebelle how many times do we have to say this? James and I are together now, there's nothing you can do about that!"

"Don't be ridiculous! James had always been my sweetheart, I just need to turn him into a respectable gentleman, that's all."

"Are you even listening to me?!" Jessie exclaimed.

"Unfortunately yes…" Jessiebelle hissed at her. James whimpered.

"Oh, what do you mean 'unfortunately'?!"

"I mean your voice is gettin' tiring! Just leave me and my James alone!"

" _My_ voice is tiring? That accent of yours is giving me a migraine!"

"At least I'm not some vain and pretentious twerp that likes to steal people's boyfriends!"

"Oh how dare you!" Jessie took a step towards Jessiebelle, but was held back by James' strong arms.

"Will the pair of you just quit it!" He growled. "Obviously this…'arrangement' isn't perfect but it seems like we're just gong have to deal with it -" James sighed, "- Jessiebelle, Jessie is right, we're together now…what is it going to take to convince you to leave."

"I just need to be completely convinced by your relationship." She explained stubbornly.

"Really? Because it just seems like you're trying to steal me!"

"Alls fair in love and war, James darlin'"

"If that's the case leave Jess and I alone!"

"Only if I'm convinced!" She repeated.

"Just ignore her, James…let's just get to the next city and start working on our next plan." Jessie considered for a few moments…if they really wanted to get rid of Jessiebelle they were going to have to seem a lot more natural, a lot more…in love. She pressed her lips to James' cheek and held them there until she could sense Jessiebelle's annoyance, and smiled when she pulled away.

"The next town is dead ahead, you three!" Meowth called to them.

"Okay, let's just find a place to camp and sort everything out in the morning." Said James.


	6. Chapter 6

"Why must you three insist on camping out here when we're only one or two miles from Neon town?" Jessibelle squawked in a grating tone.

"Because we're broke!" Jessie cried.

"See, James! If you weren't hanging around with this riff raff, you would be back at the mansion with me! You'd have good food, good clothes and most importantly: money!" Jessiebelle reminded him self-righteously. James wasn't sure if she was just being her usual annoying self, or if she was now playing dirty by trying to tempt him with money and riches; regardless, he didn't like it.

"Shut up, shut up!" He mumbled gruffly before a hand smoothed across his shoulder. He was still fairly uncomfortable about his situation with Jessie, he had thought it over time and time again; he kept telling himself that they were only pretending, and that they had both agreed to it...sort of. But he couldn't shake the awkwardness, and he wondered if Jessie really felt as comfortable as she was implying. Surly she didn't? No matter how close they were, surely she wasn't just suddenly okay with pretending to be his soon-to-be wife? He felt like there was something he wasn't understanding...But as he continued to think, he realised that as cruel as it may sound, he just had to get on with this, the more convincing they could be, the sooner they would be able to get rid of Jessibelle. He sat down on a log with Jessie and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her next to him. Jessiebelle huffed and sat opposite them, next to an unimpressed Meowth.

"Okay... -" Meowth began as he turned away from Jessibelle slightly, "If my calculations are correct, those twerps with da Pikachu should just be arrivin' in the city, this is our next chance to snag that pesky Pokemon of his!" The feline said with enthusiasm. Jessiebelle turned her nose up at their conversation, they all knew that she was itching to comment about their criminal lifestyle; but for some reason, she stayed quiet. The discussion continued uninterrupted.

"Okay, what should we try this time?" Jessie questioned. The entire team fell silent. It suddenly dawned on them that they had attempted almost every possible plan they could fathom, each one resulting in failure...all for one boy's Pikachu.

"Ummm..." James groaned.

"Okay, whadda 'bout this: Neon town has a fairly large night time scene -"

"So what?" Asked Jessie, Meowth gave her a minuscule scowl before continuing.

" - Sooo, we use that to our advantage -"

"Continue." Granted Jessie with intrigue.

"With the nightlife so overwhelming, it would certainly by easy for someone to lose track of their Pokémon...especially when it refuses to go inside it's Pokéball...if ya get what I mean?"

"Okay...good start -" James began quietly, "- But you seem to have forgotten that we don't exactly blend in, do we?"

"And you, Jimmy, seem to have forgotten that we seem to be unusually talented at disguising ourselves!" Meowth smirks.

"Actually, that's a point..." Jessie mumbled.

"What, Jess?" James asked.

"Why do we never get caught when wearing our disguises?"

"Obviously because they're impeccable!" Meowth chirped.

"Okay, Okay, I'll admit some of them have been more effective than a water move on a Charmander...but some of them have just been...-"

"Have been what?"

"...Well...pretty awful!" Jessie admitted blankly.

"Whadda ya mean?" Was the feline's next question, he looked over at her with worry and question in his animal eyes. Jessie sighed with frustration, sometimes he really can be naïve.

"Meowth, there are times when James and I have literally just put on a pair of glasses...and that's it!"

"Well, they work, don't they?" Meowth added.

"I suppose."

"Now that you mention it, Jess, I see what you mean..." James giggled slightly.

"You do?"

"Yeah, I mean, how have those twerps never seen through some of our lesser disguises? I mean, if they can't recognise it's us when we're only wearing a pair of glasses...well, maybe they're the ones who need to get their eyes checked!" The team laughed.

"Even the officer Jenny's don't pick up on it...it's kind of alarming that they're the ones who're meant to keep people safe!" Jessie continued. Team Rocket laughed again.

"Okay, Okay, back to work." James says with a slight smile. He pondered for a moment, "Okay, how about this? We take Meowth's idea and use the busy nightlife to our advantage, then we put together an effective disguise, maybe food vendors or Pokémon photographers - something like that - then when the twerps are distracted we snag the Pikachu and make our getaway!"

"You're a genius, Jimmy!" Meowth wailed as he leapt into the air with joy!

"Well...I wouldn't say a genius." James blushed.

"No...actually, I wouldn't either." Meowth joked. James frowned.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a plan." Added Jessie - almost seductively. James felt overwhelmed by strange intentions; there was a huge difference between their romantic acts that they did out of the sheer pressure from Jessibelle, and those that were done through their own intentions. When Jessibelle's stalking gaze was over them, they just kind of, did it. Yet every single fear hug, every single time they'd cuddled each other during slumber felt so different; it felt natural to them due to their friendship, and yet it also felt like something much more powerful. James recalled the time they nearly drowned on the St Anne, how they held each other, the encouraging words that Jessie gave him. He wanted to groan with frustration, it all felt so real.

Yet for some reason it was so different now, he knew they were performing but there was still an underlying spark - he just couldn't figure it all out. And no matter how many times he told himself that it was no different, to just do the things they naturally did out of friendship, he still felt the same. Maybe he just couldn't act in such a way on demand, he couldn't possibly fathom that anything else would be fuelling his - or their - awkwardness in this situation. Yet at the same time, he felt that there were moments when the awkwardness was overpowered by something else. Not something as strong as lust or desire, but some kind of willing urge between them both. It made his head spin. Jessie's eyes locked with his, the soft pools of sapphire almost putting him into a trance. Her face turned soft with concern.

"Okay -" She began with an obvious tone, "- James and I will go and get some fire wood, then we'll continue with out plan!" She stood up and swiftly grabbed James by the hand, before he could say anything, she was dragging him off into the woods.

"Hey what 'bout me?!" Meowth called after her, gesturing to that fact that he would be left alone with Jessibelle.

"I don't know, make a start on the disguises, or something -" Her voice faded into the trees. The neighbouring woodland wasn't overly thick, but it was dense enough to allow Jessie and James to disappear from sight and earshot. After dashing away from a few hundred metres they stopped at an overly large tree, James sat almost immediately. Jessie lingered on here feet for a while, looking down at her partner and seeing his saddened eyes before joining him on the grass. She lent back against the bark - crushing her hair slightly. She rested a hand on his shoulder.

"James? Are you okay?" James brought his knees to his chest and hugged them loosely. He didn't look at her.

"I'm sorry, Jess..." He sighed.

"What? What do you mean you're sorry?" He briefly closed his eyes, swallowed hard and looked at her before speaking again,

"Jess, you've already made such a ridiculous commitment to stop Jessibelle from getting her claws into me...and I'm just messing the whole thing up!" Jessie opened her mouth to respond, but James continued, "I don't think I can do this, Jessie, I'm just not holding up well...and I don't know why I'm feeling like this...surely the things I do almost everyday are far worse than having to kiss someone every once in a while...and I know I'm making it sound like I don't want to do this because it's you - that's not it - it's just... -" he was babbling slightly,"-...I can't explain it, I've been repeating the same thoughts over and over, I keep telling myself to just do it, for you, yet something stops me each time, every time I try and carry out the act something just makes me so nervous...I don't know what it is...and at the same time, I get such an urge to go through with it...my mind is in a conflict with itself...it's like...it's like I want to do it, but some anxiety stops me each time...I don't know what it is...and I know it just makes me sound so pathetic but... -" He was silenced by the the sensation of Jessie's lips closing on his. The kiss may not have been as deep as the first one they shared on the day of Jessibelle's arrival, neither of them took it any further than its simplest form. Neither of them could fathom the words to explain how they felt at that moment, it was a sense of relief - one that they had both needed for a long time, it washed over them like a cool wave; but at there same time, there seemed to be no nerves between them, no embarrassment, no anxiety...they were content.

"James -" Jessie breathed, "- I have no idea whether that helped or not, but... -" Jessie pondered for a moment, thoroughly thinking about what she was going to say, "- I get nervous too, James." She admitted. He beamed up at her, but not quite with happiness, but with surprise. "I really thought that I was helping you by doing this, and it's barely been two days and I've already started to think that I've just messed everything up between us..." James almost kissed her again,

"Stop thinking like that, Jess -" He said to her softly, "- You've done something so generous for me."

"Don't sound so surprised!" She joked.

"Well...it doesn't happen often!" He joked back, as reply he relieved a half-hearted punch on the arm, "Ow!" He laughed. They both looked at each other, not really needing to say anything, but one thought had occurred in both of their minds,

"We need to up our game." Admitted Jessie. James nodded.

"We do."

"James, Listening to you talk just then made me realised that I feel exactly the same way as you do, and I'm hoping that you also feel the same way about this...the sooner we break through the nerves and makes this as convincing as possible, well, the sooner we get rid of that mad woman of yours." She cracked a half smile.

"She's not my woman." At first James thought he'd emphasised the wrong part of that statement. Jessie and James both stood up and looked at each other with determination.

"We can do this." Said Jessie - not sounding as confident as she would've liked.

"Yes we can." Encouraged James as he gave her a warm smile. They wrapped their arms around each other almost frantically and held each other there for what seemed like hours.

"You ready?" Jessie asked her companion, she felt him nod against her. "Okay -" She said as their embrace came to an end. "- Let's do this, Fiancée." James blushed and giggled slightly at that word. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her intimately as they returned to the camp; but after a few steps something snapped in Jessie's mind. "Firewood!" She shrieked. The pair laughed, they had almost completely forgotten. In a light-hearted rush they gathered some unworthy twigs before resuming their previous position, They returned to find Jessibelle sat on the log balancing two Pokéballs in her hand.

"What's in those?" Jessie asked smugly as he could see Jessibelle's gaze cast over him and Jessie.

"My Pokémon. Obviously." She snapped.

"Last time I saw you, you only had a Vileplume, what's in the other one?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Sweetheart. I'm sure it won't displease you in any way!" She chirped. James could've sworn he heard a sinister twist in her voice, but disregarded it and came to the conclusion that, to him, she always sounded evil.

"Meowth?" Jessie called out. "Where's Meowth?" Jessiebelle pointed towards the balloon and right on queue the Pokémon popped out with two full costumes in his paws. "You're done already?" Jessie gasped.

"What can I say? I've always been the creative type!" Meowth beamed. Jessie groaned.

"Come on then, show us what you've put together" James said eagerly as he dropped the logs into a pile and sat on a log, Jessie cuddled into him; Meowth almost laughed - still not being used to their 'situation'.

"Well, they say dat the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, so I decided to go down the traditional food vendor route. Here I have thrown together matching outfits for you both. The plan is simple, once we locate Ash and his mouse, we scurry to a different street and steal some food from another vendor, then, we conveniently appear in the pathway of the twerps -" Meowth danced around as he explained his plan, "- You and Jessie will the proceed to advertise your food to them as 'Free samples' - as they chow down I will sneak in and snag that Pikachu right from under his nose! Once they've finished eating you meet back with me and we make our getaway! Then before you know it, the boss is happy and we're in line for a sweet, sweet promotion!"

"Meowth, I admire your work ethic, but doesn't this sound almost exactly like a lot of our other plans?" James questioned.

"Which have all failed." Jessie added with a groan.

"Lighten up you two! It's failed way too many times in the past for it to possible go wrong again!" Jessie and James looked at each other with uncertainty, "And if anything goes wrong along the way, we can always resort to a Pokémon battle."

"Okay, it's a plan!" Cried Jessie with excitement, which was followed by a series of cheers and shouts from the trio. The team spent the next few hours around a dimly lit camp fire, complimenting themselves on their new and excellent plan. With all the inflated egos time flew by and before they knew it, the fire had extinguished and the only light around them was from the rising moon.

"It's dark, we should probably sleep now so we can get a head start for tomorrow," James suggested.

"Okay, Sweetie" Was Jessie's response, which earned an innocent blush from James. Meowth giggled to himself. Jessie wandered over to the ballon and grabbed what should've been James' sleeping bag, she hurled it at Jessibelle - which hit her and caused her to tumble off of the log entirely. The trio laughed with roars.

"Watch where you're throwing that thing, you idiot!" Snapped Jessibelle.  
"Whoops." Said Jessie sarcastically, Jessibelle fumed. Jessie gently tossed Meowth his child-sized sleeping bag before wandering over to James and kissing his cheek. They didn't say anything to each other and instead only smiled - they knew that Jessibelle would be obsessive enough to read between the lines. They lay in the sleeping bag together, not quite spooning, but not back to back either and as sleep pulled them into it's void, the last thing they remembered was Jessibelle tumbling into the dirt due to a flying sleeping bag.


End file.
